Category:Council of the European Union

From WikiLeaks

The Council of the European Union (officially the Council and commonly referred to as the Council of Ministers) is the principal decision-making institution of the European Union (EU). It is also called Consilium as a Latin-language compromise.

The Council is one of the two legislative bodies in the EU, the other being the European Parliament. The Council is composed of twenty-seven national ministers (one per state). The exact membership depends upon the topic; for example, when discussing agricultural policy the Council is formed by the twenty-seven national ministers whose portfolio includes this policy area (with the related European Commissioner contributing but not voting).

The presidency of the council rotates among the member states every six months (known as the "Presidency"). The minister of the country holding the Presidency sets the agenda. The exception is the Foreign Affairs Council that has (in addition to the national ministers) the High Representative as a member who chairs the Council when meeting in this configuration. The Council is administered by the Council's Secretary General.

Its decisions are made by qualified majority voting in some areas, unanimity in others. Usually where it operates unanimously, it need only consult the Parliament. However, in most areas the ordinary legislative procedure applies meaning both Council and Parliament share legislative and budgetary powers equally. In a few limited areas the Council may initiate new EU law itself.